Taxi (Bryan Ferry album)
Taxi is the eighth solo studio album by Bryan Ferry, the former lead vocalist for Roxy Music. The album was released on Virgin Records in April 1993, over five years after the release of his previous album Bête Noire. This was Ferry's third solo album since the second demise of Roxy Music in 1983, ten years earlier. The album was a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 2 in the U.K., it was certified Gold by the BPI.
The first single, "I Put a Spell on You" was the album's only top 20 hit in the U.K., peaking at No. 18. The second single, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" narrowly missed the U.K. top 20, peaking at No. 23. The third and final single, "Girl Of My Best Friend" peaked at 57.
Production and recording
When Ferry was asked about the album, he said "Since I started work on the Taxi album, everything has gone great for me. The last two years have been terrific, but I had three or four miserable years. Doing the Taxi album was the start of getting things right. Just getting something done quickly and efficiently was very gratifying. Finishing something I liked and getting back into singing again, getting away from my own writing temporarily was a good thing."Critical reception
Reviewing for AllMusic critic, Ned Raggett wrote of the album "Taxi shows a mature Bryan Ferry, suave and controlled, very much in line with his general career from 1979 on." and he added that "Ferry's treated vocals, made to sound weirdly flat and compressed, heightens the curious mood." And reviewing for Entertainment Weekly, critic David Browne wrote of the album "Few of the remakes have the decadent, jaunty verve of his covers albums of the '70s. But that's okay, since Ferry appears to be aiming for something else: beautifully eerie mood music for the lovesick vampire in us all." Rob Sheffield wrote in his three star review of the album "Taxi is a consistently inspired set that ranges from "Amazing Grace" to "All Tomorrow's Parties."Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.- Bryan Ferry – lead vocals, piano, organ, witch, synthesizer, strings
- Robin Trower – pin guitar, theme guitar, wah wah, pocket guitar, space guitar
- Neil Hubbard – guitar, probe guitar, trace guitar, lead guitar, licks guitar, rhythm guitar
- David E. Williams – rhythm guitar, hook, cat
- Michael Brook – atmos guitar, lead guitar, infinite guitar
- Andy Newmark – drums
- Steve Ferrone – drums
- Michael Giles – drums
- Nathan East – bass guitar
- Steve Pearce – bass guitar
- Greg Phillinganes – vibraphones, strings, synthesizer, harp
- Chris Stainton – Hammond organ
- David Sancious – Hammond organ
- Andy Mackay – alto saxophone
- Maceo Parker – alto saxophone
- Mel Collins – tenor saxophone
- Flaco Jiménez – accordion
- Luís Jardim – percussion
- Carleen Anderson – backing vocals
- Richard T. Norris - programming
- Richard T. Norris, Sven Taits - engineer
- Bob Clearmountain - mixing
- Bryan Ferry, Nick de Ville - art direction
- Anton Corbijn - photography
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
| 1993 | UK Album Charts | 2 |
| 1993 | Billboard 200 | 79 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
| 1993 | "I Put A Spell On You" | UK Singles Chart | 18 |
| 1993 | "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" | UK Singles Chart | 23 |